I'll Always Love You
by averagegirl89
Summary: As she walks along the rubble, haunting memories flood her head. The tears fall, wet drops in the layer of dust. She leans against the wall, the pain tearing her apart.


Disclaimer: Sadly, the characters, plot and content of the Harry Potter books are not mine. They belong to J.K. Rowling and I am not affilitated with her in any way.

----------

The pictures on the walls were caked with dust...the ones that were left at least. The rest lay shattered at her feet as she began her exploration of the castle that had once held such life. Now, it was only a piece of rubble...a useless pile with too many memories and heartache.

As she stepped over a discarded robe, she let a tiny tear trail down her cheek. Walking through the entrance hall was the easy part. The hard part would be facing the memories in the tower.

_Flashback_

"Harry...I'm here for you," Ginny said quietly, placing her hand on Harry's arm. His body was rigid as he glared out of the tower window. "Please...let me help," she pleaded with him. She wanted him to turn around and look at her more than anything.

"You can't help," he said gruffly. He shook her hand from his arm.

"Harry..." More tears feel down her cheeks, their trails etched in her face of eternity. "I want to help...to listen. You're not the only one going through this," she said quietly.

And then he turned. Ginny gasped as the bright green eyes bore into her chocolate ones. The eyes that had always been so full of life were now cold and dead. "I'm supposed to die Ginny. I can't let you get hurt," he told her, the same crisp tone sounding out.

"I love you! Don't you see? You won't die because I love you!" Ginny cried out. She wanted him to understand, to say it back, and to love her with all of his being. Instead he just reached out and pulled her to him, crushing her to his chest.

_End of Flashback_

She climbed the stairs that had long since stopped their magical changes. Her shoes left imprints on the dust, leaving behind a mark that would stay forever. She walked along the hall, towards the tower. Towards the place where all the memories were.

Ahead was a large gaping hole, the entrance to Gryffindor tower. The portrait of the fat lady had been forcibly removed....in order to get to the occupants inside. It now laid on the cracked floor, the fat lady having fled. She bent down and traced the frame lovingly with her index finger.

_Flashback_

"You're being a prat!" Ginny shrieked. They had reached the entrance to the Gryffindor common room.

Harry looked at her, confused. "How?" he challenged back.

She threw her hands in the air. "Because! I don't _need_ protection, I need you! Would you stop treating me as though I'm a child?"

"Gin..." Harry stepped towards her, his own anger having melted away. Ginny turned her back on him and glared at the portrait barricading the way to the common room. "I don't want you to get hurt," he said softly, placing his arms around her, hugging her from behind.

"You're hurting me by driving me away," Ginny whispered, tears filling her eyes. She twisted herself so that she faced him, looking up into his brilliantly green eyes.

Harry didn't reply to her accusation, instead he just lowered his head and captured her lips in a sweet, heartfelt kiss.

_End of Flashback._

Forcing herself to stand, she walked through the large hole and into the common room. Tears sprang to her eyes as she takes in the torn and battered furniture, the bricks from the fireplace scattered over the floor and the tables reduced to merely splintered. She shivered as a cold gust of wind blows through the hole in the wall, caused by a spell that was misfired.

She walks towards the line of windows, where all the memories were. Tracing the frame of where a pane of glass was once placed, pain fills her, the heart that had grown cold now pumping with a new wave of sadness.

_Flashback_

"Are you ready?" Ginny asked Harry, who stood next to her, stone faced.

"Yes," he replied with a quick nod. "I've been thinking..."

"No Harry. I'm taking part in this just like everyone else," Ginny said stubbornly, now turning to face him. A small amused smile flickered across his face.

"That's not what I was going to say," he said. "I was going to say that I refuse to die today, Gin. And I refuse to let you either. We're going to survive this battle and then we're going to go on with our lives."

"Together?" Ginny whispered.

"Together," he confirmed. "We'll get married and have kids. We'll buy a house and be a family. And do you know why?" he asked teasingly.

"Why?" she asked, reaching up so that their lips were mere centimeters apart.

"Because I love you Ginny Weasley," he said before lowering his lips to meet hers.

_End of Flashback_

She closed her eyes, reliving another memory, the one that hurt the most.

_Flashback_

"Harry? Harry where are you?" Ginny's voice rose as she searched through the fallen bodies. She just wished that Harry wasn't among them. She had been searching for over an hour now, and with no luck.

The sky was dark now, smoke rising in the air and mixing with the fog that now rolled into the field. The battle had raged for the day, with Voldemort's defeat just an hour ago signaling the end. Harry had defeated him but Ginny had been on the other side of the field with everyone else and had not witnessed what had happened to him. Nobody seemed to know what had happened either. Or at least were not able to.

Her breath caught as her gaze fell on the limp frame in front of her. She fell to her knees and turned the body over so that his face could be seen. The face that looked back at her, piercing green eyes halfway closed and lightning shaped scar standing out on his forehead made her scream. She screamed and screamed until a pair of hands pulled her away from the lifeless body.

_End of Flashback_

She slipped to the floor in a huddled ball, clutching her knees to her stomach. "You weren't supposed to leave me," she moaned. Tears now cascaded down her cheeks and she was unable to stem the flow. "You were supposed to stay. We were supposed to have a family," she cried out.

She wanted someone, anyone to answer her. "Why?" she yelled out, her own voice echoing back at her. "Why was he taken? Why him? You took everyone else! Why did you have to take him???" she broke into sobs.

Wiping at her eyes furiously she yelled out again, "You weren't supposed to leave! You promised me you would live!" she banged her head against the stone wall repeatedly, the motion growing slower as her sobbing ceased and the tears started to dry.

"I wasn't supposed to be alone..." she whispered to herself. "But you warned me didn't you? This is why you wanted to protect me," she shook her head.

She pushed herself up from the floor and walked towards the gaping hole that would re-enter the rest of the castle. "You knew you would die," she said softly to the room. "And that I would live." Another tear fled down her cheek. "I love you Harry. I'll always love you." And then she turned, leaving the memories and pain behind.

"I love you Ginny. I'll always love you."

----------

I hope you guys liked it. This is my first one shot fic. Review so I know how I did!!


End file.
